Hamish Blake signs on to host LEGO Masters until 2023

Radio and podcasting star Hamish Blake has extended his run with Channel 9, signing on to host LEGO Masters all the way through to 2023.

The show launched in 2019 and is currently on its third season.

Its opening episode on Monday night had 838,000 metro viewers, beating out Channel 10’s Masterchef launch which had 670,000, and Channel 7’s Dancing With The Stars: All Stars (644,000).

It also topped the key advertising demographics of those aged 16 to 39, 18 to 49, and 25 to 54.

Michael Healy, Nine’s director of television, said he’s thrilled to commit to the show for an additional two series.

“Since it first burst onto our screens in a sea of colour in 2019, LEGO Masters has captivated the imagination of a nation. It is the ultimate feel good program that celebrates creativity and imagination while showcasing phenomenal works of art. It’s also one of those rare programs to resonate with people of all ages,” he said.

Nine’s head of content production, Adrian Swift, previously told this writer Blake was central to the show’s character and success.

“We can’t see it without him,” Swift admitted. “You’re always a little bit careful to go ‘Is the show all about one person?’ But, what Hamish did was completely subvert the paradigm of reality TV shows. Which, not only did that work in LEGO – because it’s such a ridiculous idea, this sort of big, drum-crashing crescendo reveals of things built with tiny plastic bricks, so it leant itself to that – but I guess it just, what it allowed us to do was have a great deal of fun with the idea, so that not only did you actually enjoy the build themselves, but you kind of felt like you were in on the joke as well.

“So, a huge part of [the show’s success] is Hamish.”

Blake also previously admitted that the show’s ratings success wasn’t a surprise, but was a relief, as it meant he could keep doing the show.

“We have so much fun making the show, so the numbers are nice, and the network – it’s great for the network. And it’s awesome that families enjoyed it,” he said.

“But from us inside the show, you just want people who will enjoy the show to find it. You just want something to do good enough that you get to do it again. And so, the reward for us is getting to do it again.”

Blake and on-air partner Andy Lee have two podcasts running currently, their weekly Hamish & Andy as well as the second season of Hamish & Andy’s Remembering Project.